When it comes to brand loyalty, the numbers speak for themselves. Loyal customers are the most profitable customers because they are cheaper to market to, spend more, and make more frequent purchases. Research shows that repeat customers are more likely to continue making future purchases and also spend more per purchase. Loyal customers will also evangelize and advocate for your brand. So not only do they directly contribute to increased sales, they also do so indirectly by helping grow your audience and potentially increase the number of loyal customers you have.
Loyal consumers don't just spring out of the ground though; their loyalty is earned. But with so many shopping options at their disposal today, earning that loyalty now requires a data-driven understanding of what customers really want from the brands they shop with.
Brand loyalty is heavily driven by superior customer experience
So how do you build a brand that has your customers repeat shopping, leaving positive reviews, telling friends and family, and advocating on your behalf? You earn that customer loyalty by providing them with high quality products and a cross-channel customer experience (in-store, online, social media, etc.) that causes them to associate your brand with satisfaction and positivity. It means becoming a customer-centric organization, which requires every facet of an organization (marketing, sales, customer service and support, etc.) to operate with the customer at the center of the universe. This approach may seem like a challenge, but it’s one worth investing resources in.
At the center of it all is your customer data. If you can use your data to track each customer’s behaviors and interactions with your brand, you can then build content and outreach campaigns that provide them with their ideal shopping experience. Analyzing customer data (best done with a customer data platform) helps you uncover insights into the driving forces behind your customers’ shopping habits and responses to marketing tactics, and use that knowledge to better engage them with personalized outreach and engagement campaigns. Personalized outreach (emails, promotional offers, etc.) further helps to create positive sentiment, which in turn creates happy, loyal customers.
Use customer data to offer personalized experiences
So how do you build a brand that has your customers repeat shopping, leaving positive reviews, telling friends and family, and advocating on your behalf? You earn that customer loyalty by providing them with high quality developing positive customer experience across all channels (in-store, online, social media, etc.) so customers associate satisfaction with the interactions they have with your brand. It means becoming a customer-centric organization, which requires every facet of an organization (marketing, sales, customer service and support, etc.) to operate with the customer at the center of the universe. This approach may seem like a challenge, but it's one worth investing resources in.
At the center of it all is your customer data. If you can use your data to track each customer’s behaviors and interactions with your brand, you can then build content and outreach campaigns that provide them with their ideal shopping experience. Analyzing customer data (best done with a customer data platform) helps you uncover insights into the driving forces behind your customers’ shopping habits and responses to marketing tactics, and use that knowledge to better engage them with personalized outreach and engagement campaigns. Personalized outreach (emails, promotional offers, etc.) further helps to create positive sentiment, which in turn creates happy, loyal customers.
The bottom line
Brands are sitting on tons of customer data, but many struggle to turn it into actionable intel. Salesforce research found that the average number of customer data sources has increased in the last three years, with no sign of slowing. Building brand loyalty is critical to running a successful business in today’s crowded marketplace and starts with actionable insights based on your customer data.
